OSD APPROVAL MEMO HAS BEEN RECEIVED AND IS POSTED TO THE CONFERENCE FILES SECTION BELOW.
The 2023 MSS Parallel Conference is a parallel meeting of the MSS Specialty Group on Battlefield Survivability and Discrimination, the MSS Specialty Group on Detectors, the MSS Specialty Group on Materials, and the MSS Specialty Group on Passive Sensors.
MSS Specialty Group on Battlefield Survivability and Discrimination
The Battlefield Survivability and Discrimination Specialty Group evolved from the MSS Specialty Group on Camouflage, Concealment, and Deception (CC&D) and focuses heavily on the survivability of both sea and battlefield platforms. It covers CC&D, Counter CC&D, Countermine, and IED Defeat topics. The meeting treats counter CC&D sensors including a heavy emphasis on Hyperspectral sensors. In addition, the human factor aspects of both detecting enemy assets and hiding US assets from the enemy are considered in depth.
MSS Specialty Group on Detectors
The MSS Specialty Group on Detectors is a forum for the presentation, discussion, and dissemination of information on detector technology. It covers the electromagnetic spectrum from x-rays through terahertz. The group addresses all aspects of detector technology including detection phenomena, the physics of ideal and real detectors, advanced material growth technology, and the chemistry of detector fabrication processes. This meeting covers the reliability and survivability of detectors including nuclear hardness. Also of interest are the electronics and signal processing associated with focal plane image formation such as readout circuit technology, on-focal-plane signal processing, and non-uniformity correction. Detector technologies of interest include discrete detectors, scanning and staring focal plane arrays, photon and thermal detectors, coherent and incoherent detectors, and wavelength converters.
MSS Specialty Group on Materials
The MSS Specialty Group on Materials provides a forum for the presentation, discussion, and dissemination of information within the defense community on the exploration, development, and utilization of materials to be used in military optical and electro-optical devices and systems operating in the optical (UV to mm wave) spectrum. Subjects include materials for detectors and substrates, optical windows and other optical elements, filters, optical techniques such as diffractive and binary optics and rugates, meta-materials, and other materials issues that enable the development of optical and electro-optical sensors, etc.
MSS Specialty Group on Passive Sensors
The MSS Specialty Group on Passive Sensors provides a forum for CLASSIFIED and controlled presentations, discussions, and dissemination of information regarding developments in passive sensor systems operating in the optical (ultraviolet through millimeter wave) spectrum. The group focuses on systems that exploit natural or man-made emanations from the target and scene. The group addresses both tactical and strategic systems and considers all elements that make up a system from the entrance aperture through to the decision process, including any image processing that may be applied. The interest of Passive Sensors covers ground-, vehicle-, air-, ship-, and space-based sensors. Sensor functions include ISR, precision guidance, remote sensing, including seekers for surface-2-surface, surface-2-air, air-2-surface, air-2-air application; sensors that support target detection, recognition, and identification; sensors for situational awareness; sensors that sense the environment to improve understanding of the phenomenology and radiative transfer; sensors
for foliage penetration and for terrain analysis; sensors for A2/AD environment; single-mode, multi-mode, multi-, and hyper-spectral; human-system interaction; sensors for remote and for autonomous operations; algorithms for meeting mission objectives, background clutter mitigation, including AI/ML/DL; algorithms and hardware based techniques to improve image quality such as super resolution, atmospheric compensation, turbulence mitigation; day/night operations. Technology can be at developmental, experimental, or operational stage.